For the most part I love novelizations, and "V" by A.C. Crispin, is one of the best that I have read. The writer does a great job keeping the reader the book form of a great mini-series. A MUST for any fan of the "V" series.

love the plot.. very interesting story.. the writing isn't so great but the plot is enough to keep me reading

The "V" pilot book has the same contents as the famous TV series. It follows the TV series pretty exactly, with just minor changes.

As a fan of the cult series, I can advise the lecture of this book to all other fans heartily. If you haven't seen the TV series - why, it's a good book anyway, check it out.

I also had to read this book for school, during summer. I can respect the fact that it was a classic but it just was not a book that I enjoyed. It had many unneeded parts and tended to repeat itself. It was especially boring when Jane landed at Moor House. If you are a hopeless romantic then go for it, but I prefer exciting books. The other book I had to read was Lord of the Flies and I liked it much better. So....there^^;

I became a reader in college. I fell in love with this book during my senior year of High School. My report got a standing ovation and I've yet to recommend it to anyone that did not enjoy it.

Charolette has a refreshing style. She includes just enough scenic and psychological detail. I love it when the author writes to me during parts of the story. The characters are interesting. The plot twists. Good read!

I received this book for a gift when I was twelve and found it incredibly boring. I am now eighteen and for lack of any other books to read picked it up again. To my suprise I could not put it down! The character of Jane Eyre was both inspiring and identifiable. Charlotte Bronte's best novel no doubt, the plot was excellently well crafted. Although a few parts are obvious, this classic romantic novel kept me turning pages furiously!

Edith Wharton is likely the best chronicler of life in the upper startum of early New York, and the CUSTOM OF THE COUNTRY joins her other classics in this realm, such as the HOUSE OF MIRTH and the AGE OF INNOCENCE. From the beginning, you can see where the book is headed, but the skill with which it's written keeps it from being a predictable read. The herione (?) is Undine Spragg, a social climber on the order of Lily Bart. Undine is a rather unlikeable protagonist, which leaves one's sympathies with the supporting characters, such as her first husband, Ralph Marvell. Fortunately, the book is filled with wonderful supporting characters, and the book's point-of-view often shifts between these characters. The ending is bittersweet, but gives one a great deal of insight into the emptiness of attaining everthying you want. Another terrific novel from Edith Wharton!

What a marvelous author Edith Wharton is! I like to copy passages from her books just to feel how beautifully she constructs her sentences and paragraphs. I've also read Ethan Frome, Summer, House of Mirth, and Age of Innocence; they are all terrific novels. But The Custom of the Country is her best. Could there be a worse mother, wife, or daughter than Undine? And yet, she is too pathetic to hate; she is so needy and dependent upon material things. She's perhaps the most unliberated woman in literature! Do read this novel; you will love it and learn from it.

A stunning, ruthless indictment of crass materialism and American disregard for the traditions and values of other countries. It's hard to believe this was written before WW1.

Shelly's Frankenstein is pretty well understood to be a flawed work, an amazing first attempt by a young author while also being a classic of literature. It is hard to say how I avoided reading it for so long but was surprised to find my friends negative attitudes on this book. Classics though must be read, so I devoured this over the course of a weekend and found the book quite enjoyable, however, at times I found some of its problems nearly overwhelming.

The first problem Frankenstein has is that it is (as far as content goes) really a short story. I can't imagine it needing more than 60-100 pages, but Shelly inflates it to over 200, and for no discernable reason. The expanded length leads only to additional passages where Frankenstein himself is lying unconscious for months, or needless travelogue scenes which only serve to detract from the story. It might also be said that after 100 pages of melancholic whimperings from Frankenstein the reader has probably lost all sympathy toward the character. There are also certain plot elements that seem to repeat themselves a bit too often, but I the appeal of these elements will be based upon the reader.

Ultimately, Frankenstien seems a great story that you occasionally feel compelled to skim through. There is a certain sloppiness (I am still not clear what happened to Edward--the only surviving Frankenstein, but I do know something about some of the townspeople mentioned in a letter which have NOTHING to do with the story), but when you put all that aside, the very heart of Frankenstein is an enjoyable read. The monster is a sympathetic one and I found myself glued to the pages as he first illustrated how he came to understand the world around him.

Unlike Moby Dick which should never be abridged since so much of its irrelevance seems the primary point of the story (I often consider Ahab and the whale merely a sub-plot in Ishmael's life), Frankenstein could do with some good editing. Despite Frankenstein being a relatively short book to begin with, even 200+ pages feels a bit trying when all you are reading about is landscape and Frankenstein fainting.

Frankenstein is part of our literary heritage. Halloween would not be complete without images of a large green monster wearing bolts in his neck. However, the origins of this monster conceal a horror far greater than the character popular culture has embraced.

For me, it is not the actions of the monstrous laboratory experiment that frighten me, but the act of the monster's creation itself. Mary Shelley created a novel that places the act of creation into the hands of one man, an idea which eliminates the necessity of the female sex. Technology has usurped the need for male-female partnership. What a horrific idea!

Dr. Victor Frankenstein was terrified of female power. His feelings of torment concerning his fiancee, including a particularly unsettling dream passage concerning her, led him to strip the female sex of child-bearing responsibility. If a single man can create another man then natural laws no longer apply, the male and female of a species no longer live in symbiosis.

This is the fantastic premise behind this classic horror novel. Some of the writing is crude; one instance in particular is when the monster teaches himself to read after conveniently finding a satchel of books by the side of the road. This is an example of the inexperience Shelley had as a writer; however such breaks in the story are minimal and should not overly detract from the reader's enjoyment. This is a wonderful book.

Mary Shelley's classic book has often been regarded as the first science fiction novel. Brian Aldiss has referred to it as the first novel of the Scientific Revolution. It should be required reading of any college or college-bound student. The version I read was the original 1818 edition. In 1831, Mary Shelley made a number of changes (but, nothing of great import; for example, in the 1831 version Elizabeth is no longer Victor's cousin). I did read the author's new introduction to the 1831 edition however. This introduction is well done. In this novel, written in the epistolary form, a young (age 21) student at the University of Ingolstadt, Victor Frankenstein, discovers the method of imparting life to inanimate tissue. He uses his skills to construct a creature and to give it life. The creature's and Victor's lives are intertwined and the reader can detect much of Mary Shelley's early life as well. Her mother (i.e., her creator) died a few days after her birth. The female act of creation and its results is an aspect of this novel. Others have pointed out that this is a true female novel. Although, the monster "inspires loathing" in all who see him, I came to the conclusion that the real villian in this story was Victor Frankenstein. He allows his own creation to control him.

No one writes novels quite like Ivy Compton-Burnett: they're really more like novelized plays than anything else, and as Diane Johnson notes in her extremely intelligent foreword to this edition, Compton-Burnett's antecedents are more with Oscar Wilde than anyone else, in her love of savage epigrams and wordplay. her novels are almost impossibly stylized: almost all her characters speak in the same style, so small children and uneducated coooks speak with the same level of sophistication as wealthy educated homeowners. Still, for all of its artificiality, you'd be hardpressed to beat MANSERVANT AND MAIDSERVANT as a superior exercise in style. Compton-Burnett's witty and troubling vision of the effect of a wicked Victorian paterfamilias's repentance is exceptionally striking and thought-provoking, and though this novel is not quite up to the level of A HOUSE AND ITS HEAD (also recently reissued by NYRB Press in a stunning paperback edition), it is one of her best works nonetheless.

I read about halfway through this book, and then I gave up. I read James' "Turn of the Screw," and "Daisy Miller" in high school, and I remember liking the former and thinking the latter was just okay. (I know, I know, it's a major classic by one of America's most celebrated writers, but just because something has merit doesn't mean I like it better.) One of my all time favorite books was James' "Washington Square." It's hard for me to believe that the same man wrote "Square" and "Maisie." This book is only for MAJOR Henry James enthusiasts.

I don't regret having read this book, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who isn't already into Henry James. The style is hard to understand, apparently because it was dictated, and the subject matter is even more obscure. I don't think Henry James had much experience with children: even assuming that Maisie is twisted by her strange situation, she doesn't talk like any child I know or can imagine. Weird moral undercurrents and jealousy take up most, if not all, of the novel. I wouldn't take claims of this book's modernity too seriously - it's more on the byzantine side. Read The Europeans instead: so much more fun!

I think this is the most modern of Henry James' stories. Young Maisie's parents divorce and then seem to spend their lives using her to get a teach other, until they develop other interests. Sadly, the story resonates today - immature, self-centered parents and the children that they create. Henry James' insight into the life of such a child is brilliant.

It is never easy to move to another country. It can be even worse when you have a problematic pregnant sister who is getting divorce, and you can't express yourself in the language spoken in this country. Well, this could be problematic enough, wouldn't Isabel --the protagonist of this novel-- bring more problems to her life, making 'Le Divorece' an interesting book.

Diane Johnson has a nice style, and the book keeps in a good peace, being funny and tragic at the same time. The characters are well developed, as long as you consider the rich people's lives--don't expect people working or doing something serious. But it is not a problem, because that's the way they can be. The French are...well, French -- in all the senses the word can have. And the relationship between the two countries' people are cordial, albeit you think there must be a hidden agenda somewhere.

More than a novel about social and cultural diferences between USA and France, as one may expect, this novel is a coming-of-age story, of a girl who has to travel many miles in order to find herself. Only after arriving is Europe is Isabel total free to experiment with her life, and other people's lives so that she can find out who she really is. Not that she hadn't suspected it before...

I think Diane Johnson avoids falling into traps that the theme could have lead some other less experienced writers. She is not afraid of showing how silly we can be when it comes to make a good impression on the other. A highly recommended novel.

I find much of the contemporary adult fiction to be bloated and self-conscious, and painful to read. I picked up this book out of curiosity, and found a refreshing island in a sea of cringe-worthy books.

Isabel Walker is a young California woman who travels to Paris when her pregnant sister, Roxanne, is abandoned by her husband, who takes up with a married woman. Roxanne is shattered by this, but her in-laws are casual about the whole thing. Watch out, watch out--the American family is coming!

Threaded through the book are subplots and vignettes woven into the main plot, including Isabel's affair with a guy half a century older than she, and the subject of a valuable painting belonging to Roxanne. The anecdotes are mostly witty and charming, and though it is undoubtedly not a completely accurate picture of the French, who cares?

Isabel is a fun person--you can definitely get into her head and understand the way she thinks, because for single American women, she is like them. I didn't mind reading about her affair with her older married lover, but I did wish she would stop talking about what they did in bed. (Is that obligatory?)

Roxanne is a slightly less sympathetic figure. Pregnant and confused or not, you sometimes will want to reach through and shake her, much like Jane of "Pride and Prejudice." Isabel's 70-year-old French... uh, boyfriend isn't accurate... her lover is a great character, sensitive and funny and loving.

True, this book is hardly deep or awe-inspiring, but the pace is refreshingly snappy and devoid of over-flowery prose, and the characters are fun despite the lack of true insight. Would a deep book have a cover like this one?

"Le Divorce" manages to convey a sense of exoticism to the reader with a minimum of effort, while also satirizing the Americans and French alike. After reading this, I've determined to go to Paris someday, just for the heck of it.

Don't dive into a cartoon-cover book expecting great depths, but a fun and pleasurable read.

So it's not Shakespeare! It's a great read, hilarious, the characters are wonderful, the glimpse of French sensibilities from an American perspective delicious. I read it on a cross country flight, was completely diverted from the tedium of flying, and actually laughed out loud several times. I recommend it highly along with another book "HE NEVER CALLED AGAIN".

The main character inspires nothing but a mild distaste and unfortunately overshadows with her pointless little musings a much more interesting subject of a people on the verge of revolt. Chloe could have been written as a much more compelling sympathetic narrator through which to see a turning point in a life of a country. There is not enough wit or drama or lirerary cleverness to make one want to read beyond page 15, the only reason I did, is that I made it a rule to finish all books I start. Johnson has written much better books.

After reading some of the negative reviews here, I was a bit trepidatious when I started this novel, but after reading and enjoying Le Divorce (despite its many negative reviews on Amazon), I decided to give it a go. Suprisingly, it was not horrible at all. I found it a very fun and enjoyably light read, with typical Diane Johnson characters, self-centered, blind to their surroundings, and not altogether pleasant. Actually, I found this plot much more cohesive than Le Divorce (for which Ms. Johnson was nominated for the National Book Award), with fewer loose ends. But I would still have preferred that she stay away from the political intrigue-type shenanigans (which she never really explained satisfactorally) and stick to her characters, whom she writes about with great wit and charm.

I did not find the book at all boring, as some earlier reviewers have described, and am completely puzzled as to the reference of a "string of 4-letter words." I certainly didn't notice any. I wonder if we read the same book?

The content of 'Persian Nights' was very vivid and realistic, so I was immediately transported into the story. I could easily identify and empathise with a lot of the feelings and emotions there, particularly concerning those of the main protagonist Chloe, and I could also clearly imagine the sort of atmosphere evoked. The characters were portrayed in a very human, 3-dimensional way with both their qualities and faults exposed. I enjoyed the transparency of their inner thoughts and emotions. The story went at a nice pace, there was a good sense of humour, tension, disturbance and suspense, especially towards the end, local colour and detail added exoticism and charm, the plot was compelling with little unexpected and original twists at times. Overall the book is very rich, there is a lot in it, worthy of a re-read or even chosen for a book study group. I came across the book by accident, my first impression looking at the cover and blurb was that it might be about a uncultured, ignorant American woman who blunders through Iran constantly hostile and complaining at the culture shock, and so I chose to read it for entertaining, humorous and light holiday reading. However it was refreshing to find that the protagonist was not only cultured, liberated, professional and sophisticated, but that she bravely attempted to integrate into Iranian culture in her own way and had good intentions to make the most of her short stay there through studying the language and improving her knowledge of local artefacts (she worked part-time in the University library and took out some heavy reading!). Thus I admired the character and learned a lot from her too. I wish I were as strong and brave, and sometimes as good, as she was.
Although not explicit, you can deduce fairly quickly that the political backdrop is Iran in the 70's, the time leading up to the Iranian revolution . If you want to read a detailed account of the political or cultural situation of Iran at the time, (as some readers seem to have wanted to do - I wonder why they don't just look up the encyclopaedia?), then you might be expecting too much from this book, which in its 300-odd pages packs a lot more in besides. If you keep an open mind and want to be enriched emotionally and intellectually, then you will experience the joy of top quality writing. There is no mystery why the author's books have been selected for various prizes. It certainly makes me want to read all of the other Diane Johnson books and pretty soon. I'm already a fan! I must admit I was rather shocked at the negative comments and low-star ratings for 'Persian Nights'. Are all these readers reading the same book? The book deserves at least four stars on average. Thank you Diane Johnson for an excellent book!

I love Le Divorce, so I was sorry to struggle through this one. It felt clumsy, obvious and a little like a soap opera. Oh well.

Like the other reviewer, I couldn't quite figure out what this novel wanted to be. There were many issues that were left unresolved, and there were potential sub-plots that were touched upon but not developed -malpractice, Ivy's ex, etc. Just when I thought the action was really moving along, it just fizzled. In the end, I was left with more questions that answers. Aargh.

Coming from the Bay Area and having worked extensively in the health care field here, I was quite taken with the manner in which Johnson was able to achieve a very authentic voice. Ivy was interesting and it was fun tagging along with her as she dealt with the many struggles set before her. I liked that the story ended with her getting her act together rather than riding off into the sunset with a man as a solution to her problems.